Mike Bowers

Mike Bowers
Attorney General of Georgia
In office 1981–1997
Preceded by	Arthur K. Bolton
Succeeded by	Thurbert E. Baker
Personal details
Born	Michael Joseph Bowers 1942 (age 74–75) Commerce, Georgia, United States
Political party	Republican
Occupation	Lawyer

Michael Joseph Bowers (born 1942) was the Attorney General of Georgia from 1981 to 1987 before mounting an unsuccessful campaign for Georgia Governor. He now practices law with Balch & Bingham in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bowers was born in Commerce, Georgia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1963 and served in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1970. He earned a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1974, and then worked as an assistant state attorney general until his appointment as attorney general in 1981. Running as the incumbent attorney general on the Democratic ticket, he was elected in his own right in 1982. He was re-elected in 1986 and 1990. In early 1994, he quit the Democratic Party to become a Republican, and won re-election again later that year. He resigned as attorney general in June 1997 to run for the Republican nomination for governor in 1998.

Bowers was known as a very active attorney general. He did not come from a privileged background and his public service exhibited a populist flair. He vigorously opposed conflicts of interest by public officials and contractors that might undermine loyalty to the citizenry and the public's confidence in state government. For instance, despite fierce opposition from entrenched interests, Bowers was successful in convincing the courts that, due to an inherent conflict of interest, state legislators who were lawyers could not sue the state.

Bowers vigorously opposed public corruption. His targets included long-serving Georgia Labor Commissioner Sam Caldwell, whom he prosecuted for fraud. Bowers also prosecuted powerful highway construction companies for bid-rigging practices that were anti-competitive.

At the end of his tenure, one newspaper described Bowers' service as follows: "Unquestioned integrity and dedication to principles have been hallmarks of his administration, even though his unwillingness to compromise has angered politicians and constituents." Another well-known Georgia political commentator stated that in Bowers "we have come to expect an unconstrained, outspoken and active attorney general."

Bowers' political ambitions were derailed when, during his campaign for the 1998 Republican gubernatorial nomination, he admitted to a decade-long extramarital affair with his employee and secretary, a former Playboy Club waitress. The woman, Anne Davis, stated that the romance had been active as recently as six weeks prior to Bowers' June 5, 1997, announcement. Bowers went on to lose the 1998 Republican primary to Guy Millner, finishing with 39.92 percent of the vote compared with Millner's 50.38 percent.

...
Wikipedia